there s still a heart
by little pict
Summary: While a storm shakes the walls of Snake Mountain, Skeletor investigates a strange sound in his fortress. What is he about to face?


**There´s still a heart**

It was upon midnight and still Skeletor had found no rest in his fortress, for a fierce cold wind was howling through the silent and lonely corridors of Snake Mountain. Night had always been dark on this side of the planet, but now it seemed pitch black, only broken by thunderous lightning.

Skeletor wasn´t afraid of the storm, he knew that the ancient castle walls had seen a lot of those storms and were still standing strong. It was the raging thunder itself, which deprived him of his sleep. So he sat, pondering over a book of nearly forgotten lore. But then a sound barely audible over the raging wind, broke his concentration. Skeletor tensed, carefully walking over to his door.

"`Tis some visitor?"

The skull faced sorcerer thought and stepped down into the dark corridor leading away from his chambers. Out of habit he took his Havoc Staff to cast a small spell of light, though he didn´t need it. Without eyes he had to resort to other techniques to see. But even with light there was only darkness there and nothing more.

Quietly he walked past the quarters of his henchmen, careful not to make a sound. He was about to turn towards a staircase when he heard that strange whimpering noise again. Skeletor stopped dead in his track, letting the light die. Deep into the darkness peering the evil mage stood there perfectly still wondering what could have caused that noise. He strained his hearing to the limits, but the silence was unbroken, only the storm sang his ancient song.

"`Twas the wind and nothing more!"

Skeletor muttered under his breath, enraged by his own foolishness. But just as he turned to get back to his own chamber, he noticed a ghostly pattern of ember light falling through a crack in the wall.

"No, not a crack," the sorcerer thought. "But an open door...Evil Lyn! I wonder what keeps her awake!"

Carefully he opened the witches´door a bit more, but what he saw took him by surprise. There Evil Lyn was standing by the window looking out into the darkness. Her room was lit by only a single candle, letting Lyn´s short silvery hair glow golden in the warm orange light. But what Skeletor shook most, was her trembling form and the soft sobs that escaped her lips. He realized, that he has never seen the sorceress cry before.

"So that was the source of the noise."

Skeletor thought. He knew, he should leave her to her privacy, but he could not turn away from the sight of the crying witch.

Evil Lyn watched as the lightning flashed across the sky and each bolt brought back memories of more pleasant days long gone by. Memories, which she had tried to lock up deep inside her. She felt hot tears trailing down her cheeks Again the thunder roared and a shutter ran down her back. There was a time, when she wasn´t afraid of thunder, only because she had a strong shoulder she could lean on. She began to tremble as sobs came unasked for. At last she wasn´t able to hold back the grief that had built up for yeas any longer.

"Oh Keldor, why did you leave me? Why did you have to die?"

she called out, letting her words be taken away by the howling wind. Suddenly her heart skipped a beat, as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She turned only to face a dark hooded figure.

"Keldor?"

She asked, her voice nearly breaking.

"Lyn."

The man started, but his words went unheard because of the growling thunder.

The witch touched the man´s bare chest, to see if he was real. To see that she wasn´t just in some sort of dream. And as she did, lightning lit her room for some brief seconds. But these mere moments where enough for her, to see the man´s face, to make her back away against the wall

"Skeletor!"

she exclaimed anger building up in her. Then it dawned upon her, that he must have seen her crying, that he must have heard her.

"How dare you! How dare you spying on me!"

she said her voice as cold as the stone walls.

"I wasn´t spying..."

"No? Then I must be imagining you here in my rooms."

"Well I head something and was afraid that He-man..."

Skeletor began, wondering why he even bothered to explain himself to one of his henchmen. But again he was cut of. Not by thunder this time but by a raging Evil Lyn.

"He-man? HE-MAN!That´s all you care about!

It´s all your fault! You destroyed every thing we had! You war mongering fool! "

In her rage Lyn wasn´t aware, that Skeletor backed away from her in surprise. Wasn´t aware, that she followed him, pounding her fists against his chest. Wasn´t aware that she was crying, while the words kept spilling out from her.

"I´ve warned you not to attack the Council. Why didn´t you just listen to me? It´s all your fault! Keldor died because of you, you heartless idiot!"

Skeletor tried to catch her hands, to calm the furious woman down.

"Lyn, I haven´t killed Keldor!"

The witch teared her hands loose and shoved the mage away.

"Don´t touch me, you ugly skeleton! You..."

"Enough Lyn!"

Skeletor´s voice thundered through the dimly lit chamber, his empty eye sockets glowing crimson red.

"It is."

The sorceress´ voice was barely more than a whisper, as she ran past her superior into the darkness of the corridor, not knowing where to go.

Skeletor didn´t need long to find her. He heard her crying long before he saw her kneeling and shivering form in one of the cold lightless corridors of Snake Mountain. He should have been angry with her, for what she said, but yet he couldn´t. He crouched down in front of the woman, staring at her for a moment.

"Dear Lyn, I may have lost may face, but there is still a heart."

With that he pulled her into an embrace. Slowly Lyn calmed down, comforted by the slow rhythm of his breathing. She shifted in his arms, leaning her head against one shoulder. Her other hand resting over his heart. And indeed she could feel its beating.

"You need to show it a bit more often."

she whispered, feeling safe for the moment.


End file.
